Illinois Basketball: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Indiana

1. Let’s not take discussion to a dark place

After last night’s drubbing by the Indiana Hoosiers, Illinois fans are taking to Twitter to say the end of the world is coming. Well, maybe that is a little too far. But, there are some fans who essentially say there is no reason for an optimistic outlook of the program.

I see back and forth dialog on this topic which is great. Open dialog about personal feelings of the team is completely fine, but when things get personal that is where I draw the line.

Let’s take the prime example right now. Mike Carpenter of the Tay and Carp show doesn’t have an optimistic outlook about the Illini basketball team moving forward. Check out his Twitter account (@FanboyCarp) to see what he has to say.

Let me first start off by saying I disagree with everything Carpenter is saying on the subject. I think there is nowhere to go but up for this Illini team, and I would love to have a healthy discussion about the topic. But, there are some fans who take it way too seriously. I see people saying he has an (explicative) radio show. There are fans who say he doesn’t understand the history of the program. There is more, you should go take a look.

The great thing about this country is you can disagree with people. But, those fans who are bashing Carpenter for his opinions, can you at least take a step back away from the anger and try to see it from his point of view? He is a beaten down fan like the rest of us. He just expresses it in different ways.

Let’s stop bashing people for their opinions. Don’t take cheap shots at his livelihood because you disagree. Just throw in your opinion and have a discussion. It is quite nice if you try it.